The world's top level competes between millimeters, and China's senior blue-collar workers "compete for gold and silver" in the world arena

The WorldSkills Competition Special Competition, which is in full swing, has more than 1,000 vocational college students from 57 countries and regions participating. The first good news for the Chinese delegation came from Switzerland on the evening of October 15, when Chinese player Li Dexin won the first gold medal in the furniture project. On October 20, he recalled to the Global Times reporter: "There was a lot of pressure on the scene, and the project I participated in had competitors from 18 countries competing on the same stage. "Looking at the leopard in the tube, the importance that countries attach to the training of professional skills can be seen." WorldSkills' competition programs are globally applicable and reflect the demand for professional talent around the world. Chen Xiaoxi, associate professor of the China (Tianjin) Research Center of the WorldSkills Competition, told the Global Times reporter.

China's Shao Rupeng competes in a fine woodworking project.

The world's top level competes between millimeters

The Chinese delegation won a lot in Switzerland, in addition to furniture production projects, Chinese competitors also gained in fine carpentry, woodworking, graphic design technology and print media technology projects. Shao Rupeng, the champion of the fine woodworking project of the World Skills Competition Special Competition, introduced to reporters that the assessment standards of the fine woodworking project are very strict. The dimensional error between the drawing and the finished product cannot exceed 1 mm, otherwise points will be deducted. In addition, the gap between the two members cannot exceed 0.2 mm, which is equivalent to the thickness of only two sheets of A4 paper. "Success or failure is between the details." Talking about the title he just won, Shao Rupeng said, "The other players also played very well, and I may have won in some details. For example, inside the mortise and tenon structure, where the outside world cannot be seen, it also needs to be polished very smooth and tidy, without flaws. This is also one of the references for referee scoring. Under the almost demanding standards, the players still need to race against the clock, which is indeed very difficult. ”

"Overall, WorldSkills reflects the highest levels of TVET globally." Dr. Zhang Rui of Tianjin Polytechnic Normal University said that especially in the application of technical standards, the WorldSkills Competition reflects the latest international technical skills, and also ensures the combination of technical standards of competition items and competition activities by establishing update mechanisms and measures.

The difference between the supply and demand of special talents is nearly 10 times

iResearch's Global Vocational Education Industry Development Report predicts that the global vocational education market will exceed $800 billion in 2026. The shortage of labor has caused the number of vocational education gaps to soar, and the importance of vocational education and the demand for professional talents in various countries are increasing. On October 19, Benzinga, a world-renowned financial media, reported that the WorldSkills competition demonstrated the importance of vocational skills in achieving economic growth in various countries. As China enters a new stage of development, industrial upgrading and economic restructuring continue to accelerate, the demand for technical skills in various industries is becoming increasingly urgent, and the importance of vocational education is gradually becoming prominent. Zhang Rui said: "In the survey of various places, it has been found that there is a serious shortage of senior technicians, and there is also a shortage of ordinary technicians, including front-line technicians in the life service industry. ”

According to reports, from 2020 to 2025, the key areas of the mainland's top ten talent gaps are mainly new generation information technology, power technology, new materials, high-end CNC machine tools and robots, marine engineering equipment and high-tech ships, energy-saving and new energy vehicles. The "2020 White Paper on the Integrated Development of Artificial Intelligence and Manufacturing" released by the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center pointed out that it is estimated that the current shortage of artificial intelligence talents in the mainland is more than 5 million, and the domestic supply-demand ratio is 1:10, and the supply-demand ratio is seriously imbalanced.

Chen Xiaoxi also told the Global Times reporter: "China has always attached importance to vocational education. In the 21st century, vocational education has made great progress. The revised Vocational Education Law of the People's Republic of China, which came into effect on May 1, 2022, has created more space for the development of vocational education, and the national level has issued guidance to promote the construction of relevant talent teams; Build and build a Chinese vocational skills competition system, etc. All these have laid a good foundation for the future construction of China's professional talent training system. ”

"Learn from teachers" is popular worldwide

Throughout the world, the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea and other manufacturing powers and regions are active members of the WorldSkills Competition, and promote their own vocational skills competitions and vocational education by participating in the WorldSkills Competition. "For China, by participating in events, it can effectively make an international reference to its own vocational education and skill personnel training level. Through foreign cooperation and exchanges in vocational and technical education and training, we can enhance foreign influence, boost foreign economic cooperation and development, and achieve a win-win situation for all parties. Zhang Rui said.

It is understood that the education of professional talents in Europe can be traced back to the apprenticeship system in the Middle Ages. At that time, handicrafts began to occupy an important position in social development, "craftsman master" became the leading producer of all walks of life, and the social status was relatively high, and "learning from teachers" was very popular at that time. With the development of industry, about 200 years ago, Germany first introduced a "dual vocational training system" (students are both factory apprentices and vocational school students). European business circles generally believe that the global popularity of "Made in Germany" is inseparable from dual vocational training. Dual vocational training is also more in-depth in Austria, Switzerland and other countries. In recent years, Spain, the United States, China and other countries have also carried out relevant cooperation with Germany.

But a dual apprenticeship is just the beginning, not a freeze for a career. Many European business executives come from dual education systems. For example, Christian Sowen, CEO of Deutsche Bank, after graduating from high school, joined Deutsche Bank to start a dual apprenticeship. After graduation, he held various positions in various departments and was appointed CEO in 2018. The German newspaper Bild reported at the time the title "Apprentice of yesteryear, president of today", considering him a successful example of dual training in Germany. Such examples are not uncommon in European countries. Moreover, countries with better dual training tend to have lower youth unemployment, more developed manufacturing and more stable economies.

"Vocational education is an important part of the national education system and human resources development, and an important way to cultivate diversified talents, inherit technical skills, and promote employment and entrepreneurship." The WorldSkills Competition provides an excellent opportunity to change the mainland public's stereotypes about vocational education and skilled talents. Chen Xiaoxi said. (Fu Honglie)